36 F. I am doing 16:8, and occasionally go longer than 16 hour fast. I am using Lose It! for CICO. Lose It! has me eating 1,833 calories or less a day. I do eat whatever I want, as long as my calories are within this limit. I have gone over by 200 calories a couple of days.
I’ve been IF for almost 4 weeks, and CICO for like 12 days. I’ve only lost 4 pounds.
I see posts on here of people getting amazing results in short periods of time and am feeling frustrated.
What are some things I may be overlooking? Are the few days I’ve gone over by 200 calories the issue? Is it that I’ll eat high carb and sweets? I thought a calorie was a calorie.
Any insight or advice would be amazing!
Edit: Thank you for everyone’s response. It’s given me some perspective. I need to not compare, maybe be less carb heavy, add some movement, and be proud of what my body is capable of doing. With more time I’m hoping to see more change.
One pound a week is actually dead-on ideal progress! You are doing great! Seriously, that is the recommended rate for weight loss. You are doing nothing wrong. You just need to adjust your expectations to reality.
You see posts reporting dramatic fast weight loss (like 20 pounds in a month) because those are the ones that get upvoted — precisely because they are the most dramatic. That isn’t a scientific sample, and it doesn’t show “normal” results. You shouldn’t judge yourself by those kinds of posts.
Also, pay attention to the details of the posts you’re comparing to. Are they the same age, sex, height, starting weight, activity level as you? Most of the time, the people who report losing 20 pounds in a month have a high TDEE, so it’s easy for them to run a large caloric deficit. They started at a high weight and/or they’re tall young men.
FYI, I’m a 39F who does OMAD (without counting calories) and I seem to average about 0.5 pound loss per week.
Unfortunately each body is different. Especially as we age it can be harder to lose weight. 4 lbs in a month isnt bad at all. I think mindset is important. A successful diet is one you’ll be able to stick to forever. So really, you’re in it for the long haul, no matter how fast you lose weight.
I’m going to tell you the same thing my dad told me when I started my weight loss journey. ‘You cannot expect to erase in a few months the lifestyle that you had for years that allowed you to gain the weight’
I’ve lost 130lbs in just a little over two years. In this sub, and other social media I’ve seen people lose the same amount of weight in less than half of the time it’s taken me. I still have another 45lbs to lose before I reach my goal weight. And while it’s discouraging to see other people do it faster, at the end of the day, I’m in a better place today than last week, or last month, or last year….
Don’t get discouraged, losing weight really is a journey full of ups and downs. It is not a linear straight down process.
Also, personally, I don’t think a calorie is just a calorie. The better choices I have made with food, the better results I have seen. That being said, it’s all about small changes, add veggies to your usual meals little by little. Eat half of the donut. It’s not just about grilled chicken and steamed broccoli either.
Good luck, believe in yourself, trust the process. This is not a race.
Carbs are the enemy unfortunately too. Not advocating keto, but I’m in the same boat and if my calories are carb heavy the scale never moves.
I feel ya. I’ve lost maybe 8 pounds in a whole YEAR so it’s super frustrating to see the other success posts
Have you have ever been diagnosed with any thyroid conditions?
Trying to think of what else could effect metabolism…
Barring any metabolic disorders (might be worth getting a check upto rule anything out and ensure IF is safe for you)… try jump starting yourself with some caffine, or a morning walk/workout…